Kang-sheng as Hsiao Kang Chen Chao-jung as Ah Tze Jen Chang-bin as Ah Ping Wang Yu-wen as Ah Kuei Lu Yi-ching as Hsiao Kang's mother Miao Tien as Hsiao Kang's father Production Rebels of the Neon God was Tsai's first feature film. He had taken a liking to Lee Kang-sheng when the two worked together on a television film. At the time, Lee was studying for college entrance exams. Tsai later said, "It was by spending time with Hsiao-Kang as he went through the whole experience that I decided that I wanted to make a simple film about a kid trying to get into college, which became Rebels of the Neon God. I wanted to explore what a kid would do if he couldn't get in. Where would he go? What would he do?" Title The Taiwanese title refers to Nezha, a powerful child god in Chinese classical mythology who was born into a human family. Nezha is impulsive and disobedient. He tries to kill his father, but is brought under control when a Taoist immortal (Nezha's spiritual mentor) gives the father a miniature pagoda that enables him to control his rebellious son. This resonates in the film a number of ways: Hsiao-Kang's mother believes that he is Nezha reincarnated, and Tze and Ping try to pawn off some stolen goods to an arcade proprietor named Nezha. Before the pawning of the stolen goods, Hsiao-Kang vandalizes Tze's motorcycle and writes "Nezha was here" on the adjacent sidewalk. Reception On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 32 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.55/10. The site's consensus reads: "Rebels of the Neon God announces writer-director Ming-liang Tsai as a fully formed talent—and remains one of the more accomplished debuts of the decade". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 82 out of 100 based on 10 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Awards The film won a Golden Horse Award for Best Original Score, a Prize of the City of Torino for Best Film at the Torino International Festival of Young Cinema, and the Bronze Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. See also List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes References External links Interview: Rebels of the Neon God 青少年哪吒 1992 films 1992 drama films Central Motion Picture Corporation films Films directed by Tsai Ming-liang Films with screenplays by